The invention relates to a seat and more particularly a seat for use in a motor vehicle, having a seat base or squab portion which is adjustable in respect to inclination in its longitudinal direction.
A very wide range of different constructions is known in regard to seats, such as seats for motor vehicles, in which the seat surface is adjustable in inclination, in the longitudinal or fore-aft direction of the seat. In such arrangements, the seat frame which carries the seat surface, that is to say, the upholstery of the seat, is mounted pivotally at its rearward end region on a mounting means which is supported on a floor or like support surface. The height of the seat surface can be altered in the front region of the seat, by operation of a lever mechanism. Some adjustable seat constructions do not have a mechanism which provides for adjustment of the angle of the seat base portion by lever forces which act directly to adjust the angle of inclination of the seat, but in contrast, the inclination of the seat is adjusted, after releasing a latching means which fixes the front portion of the seat in position, by a shift in weight on the part of the occupant; when the seat has been moved into its desired position in that way, the seat is then latched in position again. Both releasing the latching mechanism and relocking the latching mechanism after adjustment of the seat requires actuation of a handle which, in previously known seats which are adjustable in respect of inclination, is arranged on the floor mounting means of the seat or adjacent to the floor of the body of the motor vehicle in which the seat is disposed. Such an arrangement suffers from the disadvantage that, when the occupant of the seat wants to release the latching means in order to adjust the angle of the seat, then, so as to be able to reach the handle of the latching mechanism, the seat occupant will be required frequently to move out of the position, namely, leaning back against the backrest, which best enables him to shift his weight in order to adjust the inclination of the seat and in which he will also want to establish what is the most comfortable angle of inclination of the seat surface, in order to adjust the seat in that position. Because therefore it is not possible for the occupant of the seat to adjust the seat while sitting therein in the most natural position of leaning against the backrest, adjusting the seat to the desired position will require repeated actuation of the locking mechanism and a number of different attempts to find the desired position of the seat. Everybody who uses such a seat suffers from the above-indicated disadvantage, but people of small physical build with relatively short length of arm will suffer from that disadvantage to a more serious degree than people who are of larger physical build, who will be able to reach the actuating mechanism more easily. As will be appreciated however setting the seat in the proper inclined position is a factor of really significant importance for small people, for example in order to have a satisfactory field of view out of a motor vehicle.
Some of the known seat arrangements of the above-indicated kind also suffer from a further disadvantage, namely that the locking mechanism which is disposed at or in the vicinity of the floor of the vehicle is not sufficiently freely accessible so that the occupant of the seat may suffer from injury for example to the fingers, in seeking to operate the mechanism.